Cricket 1905

100 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. May 4, 1905. TH E N E W M EN A T PRACT ICE . Below will be found extracts from various English newspapers referring to the practice at Lord’s of the three new men in the Australian team, viz., Cotter, Qehrs, and Newland :— Cotter was watched with special interest, but naturally he did not howl his full pace at the nets.— l)aily Telegraph. Gehrs is a very well-built man, but he did not show any remarkable grace of style when batting. He is under Bix feet, and fairly broad in proportion. Cotter is a small edition of the South African express, J. J. Kotze, and is decidedly small for a fast bowler. But there is surely a wealth of spring and strength in those thighs and loins which will stand him in good sttad when he is bowling. His delivery is perfectly fair and square. He took yesterday some ten or a dozen steps to the wicket, with two or three longish strides about the middle of his run. Just before reaching the stumps he curls his right arm and wrist in a peculiar way, somewhat after the style of a leg-break bowler, and then, with a couple of quick steps, reaches the bowling eriase, and delivers rather in the style of Sharp, of Lancashire, of whom he at times reminds one.— Standard. So far as appearances go, Gehrs is as fit as the proverbial fiddle ; he is ruddy with the glow that comes from a life lived in the open air, and he moves with the litheness that comes from well-developed muscle. He has not made his reputation by hard hitting, but like the others he hit at most things yesterday, and one must wait for the real cricket before commenting upon his batting abilities. New- lands, the reserve wicket-keeper, naturally did not dun the gloves—except to be photo­ graphed—but he shaped like a run-getter every inch. In appearance he resembles Blythe, of Kent. Cotter is a ready-smiling, apparently high-spirited j outh, who is short in stature for a. bowler of great pace. But he has sturdy shoulders and takes the eye as one capable of any amount of endurance. His bowling arm swings low—just a little higher thanWilson, otWorcestershire—and although he did not take his proper length of run nor attempt to show his best pace, he put one down occasionally that told of his possibilities in the “ lightning” line. Anyway, when a yorker alighted on Darling’s toe, the stoical captain dancedfor very agony .—SportingLife. Cotter is well built, of strong physique, and very erect - an ideal athlete. He aid not bowl seriously yesterday, but what little be did suggested the “ tear-away fast bowler of uncertain length ” he has been described to be. When *‘ posing” for the photographer he took a run of nearly 20yards .—Daily ,\cv<s Cotter, the new fast bowler, came on the scene. As he is the hope of Australia, his proceedings were watchi d with great interest. He is a broad, lusty lad, with an innocent cherubic face that belies the “ devil” that he puts into his deliveries. Only occasionally did he sling down the ball that has made his name a terror—and then Duff looked as if he wished the wicket was a little truer. When Cotter bowls merely “ fast” a sharp “ nip in ” from the off can be detected. When he bowls “ express” no one can see what happens to the bail. - Evening News. Cotter struck people as taking a shorter run than most modern fast bowlers ; but he must he seen in a match beiore any fair opinion can be formed of him —Daily Mail. Naturally the bowling of Cotter was closely watched, but he did not over-exert himself as a rule, and when he did let him­ self go once or twice early on he elicited a mild protest from the batsman. He does not in his delivery bend to anything like the extent which has been stated, and his action appeared to be scrupulously fair.— Sportsman. Cotter, the new fast bowler, attracted much attention, but beyond the easiness of his action nothing can be written concerning his ability. He did not bowl at his fastest pace, yet hit the sticks on several occasions, which is not surprising, for anybody takes wickets in net practice, even Duff, who beat Darling several times .—Daily Chronicle. The fast bowler Cotter is a fresh-coloured delightful-looking athlete of average height, and very sturdy. At Lord’s yesterday he bowled with scrupulous fairness, and though not sending down his fastest ball, he did enough to prove that he is a really great bowler .—Daily Express. In a prolonged spell of bowling on Satur­ day Cotter showed that reports that he had improved in style and pace since the 1902 tour are likely to be borne out.— Sportsman. Cotter also bowled to the Colonials’ stumper on Monday. The wdcket, however, was a trifle rough, and he did not send them down at his best pace, but on having another turn with the ball a little later on, at the next net, with Gehrs batting, he bowled very fast indeed, making the ball come off the pitch at a lightning speed, and on one occa­ sion he knocked down the South Australian’s off-stump with a ball which broke right across the wicket .—Spot tsman. N EW ZE A LAN D CR ICKET . M. A. Noble was interviewed at Wel­ lington. He dwelt on the necessity for good wickets being provided if cricket is to be improved in New Zealand. He was satisfied that there were plenty of men in New Zealand who could bat, but the wickets will not let them. Good wickets could only be made in New Zealand by the importation of Bulli soil, which must be placed under sods as well as used for top-dressing. New Zealanders also required greater knowledge of how to place a field to the best advantage. It would be difficult to get a first eleven of New South Wales to come to Ne-v Zealand, but there should be no trouble in getting a second eleven to make the trip. New South Wales had a seccnd eleven very little inferior to the first, and they would teach some things to the New Zealand players. South Aus­ tralia could provide a good team, and Victoiians would make things merry dur­ ing a New Zealand tour if they could get away. Good games could also be pro­ vided bj Queenslandand Tasmanian teams. The cricket council should certainly make an effort to get Australians to pay more frequent visits than had been made in the past. Noble also advocated the the employment of coaches. C. Hill said there was tome promising batting material in the colony in Mason, Siedeberg, Sims, and others. Laver was particularly impressed by the weak fielding of the New Zealanders in three of the six matches. CR ICK ET LECTURE A T A R D IN G L Y , SUSSEX . With an exhaustive repertoire of nearly 300 lantern slides dealing with cricket and cricketers from 1700 to the present time, Mr. A. J. Gaston, of Brighton, had little difficulty in entertaining a large and appreciative audience in tho village hall, Ardingly, Sussex, on Friday eveniog last. The chair was taken by the presi­ dent of the club, Mr. Gerald W . E. Loder, formerly M .P. for Brighton. The lecturer, after tracing the early history of cricket, pointed out that he had records of the game being played in Sussex as far back as 1700, while at Lindfield and Ardingly matches were recorded in 1750. Richard Newland, of Slindon, in Sussex, played in the first recorded match in 17-14 at the Artillery Ground, London, on the side of E gland against Kent, and it is noteworthy that the following year he scored an innings of 88 for England against Kent. The illustrations, which were exquisitely reproduced, comprised Sevenoaks Vine, 1780; Lord’s in 1789; George, Prince of Wales, afterwards George IV., 1797 ; Rowlandson’s famous print of a ladies’ match in 1811 ; Brighton Royal Cricket Ground, 1823; W. F. Lillywhite (“ Old Lilly ” ); Tom Box, of Ardingly, the famous Sussex wicket­ keeper who assisted Sussex for 24 conse­ cutive seasons ; Fuller Pilch; the Canter­ bury w eek-K en t v. England, 1842; Mr. Alfred Mynn, the “ Lion of Kent ” ; the national engraving, Sussex v. Kent, 1848; Tom Sherman, Julius Csesar, W. Caffyn and Tom Lockyer, of Surrey; English teams to Australia ; the Austra­ lians in England; famous cricket grounds; scoring boards in Australia; tbe crowd at the Oval and Lord’s ; Sheffield Park ; Mr. W. G. Grace, K. S. Ranjitsinhji, Mr. C. B. Fry, Joe Vine, F. W. Tate, Lord Hawke, etc. Possibly the greatest enthusiasm was evinced during the lecturer’s references to the four Ardingly-Sussex cricketers, Mr. W. A. Bettesworth, the late Mr. William Blackman, Mr. George Brann and Mr. W. Newham. The second part of Mr. Gaston’s lecture dealt more with local celebrities. Sheffield Park and Lord Sheffield's munificent support of Sussex cricket were depicted. The feat of the Ardingly College team in piling up 672 runs against the M.C.C., who were kept leather-hunting all day, was given pro­ minence, Mr. Gaston also most humor­ ously telling how Ardingly (at Wake- hurst Park) dismissed the Lindfield team for three runs (one of which was obtained by the lecturer himself), also Balcombe for two runs from the bat. Mr. G. Dean, the Ardingly umpire, was pictured, and a feeling tribute was paid to the late Mr. Harry Munnion, the well- known Ardingly bowler. References to Lindfield, Hay wards Heath and Brighton cricket celebrities closed a remarkably interesting lecture.